Thank you, Donald Hall and Jane Kenyon

This is part of the thank you and condolence letter I sent to Donald Hall. Mr. Hall’s wife, Jane Kenyon, is my favorite poet, but she died in April of 1995. Since her death, Mr. Hall has published two books of poetry and a book about her death and their lives together. Here’s an excerpt from my note:

“Ms. Kenyon was among the first writers I cared for beyond
their work. I learned of her death years after the fact in a bookstore near the
Russian River. I was in my early twenties on a weekend road trip away from
school. I read that she was gone in her author bio, and had to sit down on the
floor. I was embarrassed by my tears, and hid my face in a used copy of Otherwise, which I still own.

…I want to thank you for publishing Without and The Best Day,
the Worst Day, which just arrived in the mail. It’s helpful, having details,
and a blessing to have them provided by someone so gifted in such matters.”